Milorganite Reduces Leaching & Runoff

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Thick turf slows water movement down, giving soil more time to absorb it.

Milorganite can be used without risk to the environment.

Well-maintained lawns leach fewer nutrients

A University of Wisconsin – Madison study concludes that there is
less nitrogen and phosphorus in the runoff water from Kentucky bluegrass
fertilized with Milorganite than from the same turf that received no
fertilizer at all.

After a single year without fertilization, runoff from the
unfertilized turf plots exceeded runoff from the fertilized turf plots
by at least 30 percent. This, in turn, led to significantly more
runoff losses of nitrogen and phosphorus from the unfertilized turf.

This study examined the runoff from fertilized and non-fertilized
Kentucky bluegrass plots. The fertilized plots each received four
applications of either a synthetic fertilizer or Milorganite. The
application rate was one pound Nitrogen per 1000 sq ft. Runoff water
was collected after each rain or snow melt. The amount of nitrogen and
phosphorous in this runoff water was measured. As the graphs
demonstrate, runoff from the unfertilized turf exceeded runoff from the
plots fertilized with Milorganite by as much as 100%.

Most of the nutrients in runoff water is from the turf leaves and not fertilizer

It was also found that 60% of the nitrogen and 80% of the phosphorous
in runoff water occurs when the soil is frozen. This indicates that most of these nutrients actually come from the leaf tissue itself and not from turf fertilizer.

Properly fertilized turf reduces runoff because increased turf
density slows water movement, giving soil more time to absorb it.
Failing to fertilize properly can lead to a decline in turf density and
increased runoff. This research shows that fertilizing with Milorganite
is one of the most environmentally sound ways to encourage healthy turf
and reduce nutrient runoff.